For the first time, scientists from the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) analyzed a long-term sample series on microplastic pollution in the Northeast Atlantic from 2000 m water depth with respect to number, size, mass, material and possible origin of the particles. Samples were collected between 2003–2015 in the Madeira Basin by a sediment trap. Plastic type and particle amount varied widely, but accounted for up to 8% of total particle flux.

First long-term evidence of microplastic pollution from deep water layers of the open ocean

The most common plastic materials were polyethylene and PVC. The results provide insights into the temporal variability of sinking microplastics and thus a first approach to understanding their fate in the ocean. Few anthropogenic environmental pollutants both on land and in water are as widespread as microplastics. And although there is evidence of microplastics in almost every ecosystem even if it is as remote as the Arctic or deep-sea sediments major knowledge gaps exist about their origin, fate and temporal variability. This is especially the case for the oceans. Yet microplastics are dangerous to the marine environment in many ways,” says Janika Reineccius of the IOW, lead author of the recently published study on long-term observation of microplastic pollution in deep water layers of the open Northeast Atlantic. “Microplastics can adsorb certain toxins and transport them over long distances, both horizontally and vertically. A wide variety of organisms ingest such ‘poisoned’ particles, which, on top of that, can significantly limit the intake of nutritious food,” the researcher says.

“Moreover, not all microplastic pollution are the same,” adds co-author Joanna Waniek. “To reach a better understanding of how fast and how much microplastic sinks through the water column into the ocean depths, we need to study not only particle size, but also what material the particles are made of. There is an enormous range of chemical and physical properties that influence both, sinking behavior and particle life time. This, in turn, decisively influences the residence time in the water column and thus the availability to the affected fauna,” explains the IOW scientist. For more than 20 years, she has been in charge of the Azores Observatory Kiel 276, which is anchored in the middle of the Northeast Atlantic about halfway between the Azores and Madeira Island. In addition to numerous instruments, which measure a wide range of chemical and physical oceanographic parameters, also sediment traps are attached to the 5.2 km long mooring line to collect sinking particles at different depths.

Source: This news is originally published by phys.org

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